When was the last time you took a step back and had an inward look into your business to make sure it is in the best possible shape to sustain its future?
Take a look at the following areas and I am positive there are a number of small changes you can make that could have a big impact on your business.
Review your Business Plan
Do you have a business plan and review it on a regular basis?
Most do have a plan but once it has been created it is then left to gather dust and not be read again. It needs to be reviewed on a regular basis to see what the reality was against the forecasted figures and if there is a difference ask yourself why? It may be positive and the figures are better so look at what has worked well and could you do even more!
Are the vision and values you have for your company still the same and does everyone know and share them?
Look at the people and structure
Having the right people along the journey with you is key to aid growth.
When you have reviewed your business plan start to define the future structure you may need to get your there.
Do your teams need upskilling or cross skilling to help them with the challenges and roles you need them to have in the future? Perform a simple training needs analysis exercise to see where the gaps may be and then look at the options available to help fill them.
You could engage with a partner organisation to fill the gaps such as HR or Technology as you don’t require the role full time but have a need for these services and skills. Rather than employing in the roles working with a partner can give you cost savings whilst having the necessary expertise and knowledge on board.
Are your processes working for you?
Take a look at the processes you currently have to make sure they work as efficiently as possible. Is information being passed through the number of processes you have effectively? Are there a number of times information e.g. Customer details are double keyed?
The more you can integrate your processes the more efficient you will be become and ultimately save time and money.
Do you understand what you do and how you do it and have it documented so that when new people come in they have a clear direction on what you expect them to do?
Is your technology right for you now and your future plans?
Technology isn’t the magic bullet to fix all but is an enabler to help with your processes and can bring great collaboration through information gathering and sharing.
There are many great solutions that can help bring efficiencies through centralised information such as Customer Relationship Management, accounting, workflow or document storage solutions.
Think about what data you will need to collect for the future that will allow you to analyse performance or market share to give you the information to make the right decisions. How easily can you get this? How secure is your data and could you do more to protect it?
Small incremental changes can make a big difference.
Green Giant Consulting Ltd can help you in all areas above so please call on 0115 9648 218 or visit greengiantconsulting.co.uk.